Having to fight the Police & CPS without adequate support is tough

A person who is accused of murder feels the full weight of the police and CPS come down on them and it can be a terrifying and demoralising experience. Once the police decide to lock in on you, they almost never change their minds. All of their resources are focused on your guilt and on somehow finding evidence that helps them do that.

Many murder suspects spend days in the police station, before being taken straight to court. They then find themselves having to prepare their case from prison. They're often allocated a duty solicitor who may or may not have proper experience of murder cases. Having to trust a lawyer they might not have known before to represent them in a really serious case can be tough enough, but also being in prison can also mean being cut off from family and friends who want to help support them. A person facing this type of situation for the first time also won't find it easy to know which specialist murder solicitors to choose.

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The Police and CPS are well resourced. Defendants can feel isolated.

In a murder case, it can seem that every aspect of the justice system works differently. The police resources are almost unlimited. The CPS lawyers are well prepared. They also don't always play fair. The police approach may seem on the surface professional or even friendly, but in reality, they're completely dedicated to the suspect being prosecuted and convicted.

Meanwhile, the defendant is usually stuck in jail trying to defend him or herself, often without having proper communication with the outside world or even with his or her legal team.

Whether the alleged victim was a friend or family member, a stranger in a dispute of some kind, an accused person can go through all kinds of feelings such as shock, fear, anger or confusion. Not knowing what's going on and not understanding the process make all of these feelings worse.

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Murder cases can be won - confidence comes from the right approach

There are positive things that a person accused of murder can do to get back control of the situation. First is getting the right people on board. A good legal team will know how to defend you well, and this starts in the police interview. The advice you receive from specialist murder solicitors can limit the damage from police questioning, especially if you're tempted to answer officers' questions.

For a client to have confidence by the start of the trial, experienced murder solicitors can put together the right team for you. This includes choosing from the best QC barristers to speak on your behalf in court.

But the work starts long before the trial. Preparation is incredibly important. This means keeping you in the loop, working together with you, and doing the investigation that's needed. Specialist murder solicitors will also know which forensic expert witnesses to bring in to analyse and challenge it, whether it's phone evidence, fibre lifts, DNA or medical.

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We commit fully to your case with skill, experience and contacts

The specialist murder solicitors at Mary Monson Solicitors have acted in some of the most significant murder cases of the last 40 years and we know what it takes to win.

Every single thing that can improve the chances of the client must be done and done well. Our approach is organised, disciplined and aggressive if required.

We put the resources in. If it means multiple lawyers on the team or more hours, then that's what we do.

We choose top QCs and barristers. The case that our specialist murder solicitors prepare must be perfectly presented to the jury.

We don't rest until every avenue has been explored. Site visits, second postmortems by our pathologists, DNA experts, phone experts, witness tracing. These are some of the paths we go down. We fight the prosecution attack by fully committing on our client's behalf. This means days, weeks and months spent working with you and working for you.

That is how our specialist murder solicitors get results in murder cases.

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Actionable steps to take to move things in the right direction

There are some basic things you can do to start improving your chances in this situation.

• Get a good firm of specialist murder solicitors to represent you or the family member you're helping. Assuming the duty solicitor must be a specialist in this area is often not a good idea.

• Call us to talk about what's going on. We're happy to talk to you and see if we can help. We'll at least try to answer some of your questions.

• Try to educate yourself about the case. Ask for a copy of the case summary. There are usually two: one at the Magistrates' Court and one at the Crown Court.

• Avoid contact with police without speaking to a solicitor. This includes family liaison officers. They often gather evidence for the investigation although they will often not tell you this.

• Nominate a friend family member who is level headed to help manage things. They can speak to lawyers, the accused family member, and other members of the family to make sure that information gets to the right person.

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